An Arkham Entrance
by SwordStitcher
Summary: Riddler and Switch finally enter Arkham City and the Rogue gets the welcome he deserves.


A/N: Arkham City! What a wonderful town! The Rogues are up and the cops are down! Like way down. Like six feet under. :\

* * *

The van idled in waiting. Outside, protesters roared their disapproval, but inside the van it was silent and tense.

She was the only prisoner in the van but the rest of the seats were taken by riot-clad guards. The logo splayed across the bulletproof vests spelled TYGER.

They were all pretty damn nervous. Every few seconds a pair of eyes turned towards her. She'd feel flattered if she wasn't sick of waiting.

The handcuffs were too tight, which made her hands uncomfortable, but they weren't going to be there for long.

Outside, a microphone squawked and a roar of approval trickled it's way into the tense atmosphere.

_All this security for little old me_. Switch thought. She had to wonder how many were watching Nigma in the van ahead.

So the Asylum had shut and Arkham City had risen in it's place. A controlled area of lawlessness.

Of course Nigma had known about it for months. Nigma knows almost everything that goes on in Gotham. Switch had heard a few rumours herself, about a mysterious Dr. Strange but Riddler absolutely made it clear Strange wasn't who he was after.

In fact, Nigma _wanted_ to get into Arkham City. That had shocked her. Nigma generally disdained the other rogues. He only ever had dealings with a few of them, so why suddenly did he want to be in such close proximity to the very people who harassed and pestered and crawled under his skin?

A rematch with the big bad Batman of course.

He'd heard something, a huge something if Switch guessed right, that would inevitably make Batman show his face and Nigma wanted to be prepared.

Batman had thwarted him in the Asylum, solved every riddle and found every one of the trophies Switch had planted and that made Riddler furious.

He was practically inconsolable when he discovered Switch had been leaving little maps for the Bat. He felt Batman had cheated, he felt Switch had been helping him, and while he couldn't get the Bat, he could certainly get to Switch.

Switch absentmindedly ran a hand over her newly healed wrist at the memory.

They were still idle. Goddamn, how many people were they pumping into that damn hellhole?

'Are we there yet?' She sighed.

'Be quiet.'

'I'm bored.' She moaned.

'Don't make me tranq you.' The guard opposite her hefted his gun.

She sneered. These people were just so predictable. Her wringing hand ran over the lockpick concealed up her sleeve. That might be needed…later.

She'd been sitting in this damn van for an hour now, just waiting. Her legs twanged from the cramped conditions. Even in the Asylum, known for it's tiny cells, she had more space than this. Every time she shifted she bumped someone's elbows or knees.

She stood and stretched, unable to take it anymore. Immediately, several guards stood and pointed guns at her. Orders were barked.

'Sit down prisoner! I will shoot you!'

'I'm stretching.' She grumbled.

'You have five seconds to comply!'

'Or you'll what? Tranq me to-' She stumbled and fell back into her seat as the van lurched into action suddenly. 'Oh finally.'

The sounds of the crowd slowly faded and the sounds of the van became louder as they entered the intake bay.

She sat, perfectly at ease as the engine was cut and orders began to fly around her. If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe they were being dragged back to the Asylum. The same stupid guards barking their stupid orders and blindly obeying the same dizzyingly dull commands.

The doors were flung open, cold air flitted across her skin and, just for a moment, she felt apprehensive.

Several of her escort jumped into the night air and waved her out.

As she descended, followed by those who had remained inside the van, she saw Riddler coming out of his own. He seemed perfectly at ease, as he always was in these kinds of situations.

They were herded towards two empty lanes. He was told to take the left, she the right.

Her processing guard flicked through his paperwork as she waited impatiently. How much evidence did he need to identify her? He glanced up at her scowling face and then down at the accompanying picture.

'Dead Switch.' He muttered at last and drew his pen along the length of the paper.

She rolled her eyes and held out her hands for the cuffs to be removed. The guard snorted. 'Orders from Dr. Strange. The cuffs stay on.'

Strange. The apprehension returned, stronger than ever. She turned to look at Nigma, looking for reassurance. He looked up at her and winked.

His cuffs were being removed. She saw him rub the feeling back into his hands. Well she was going to be damned if Nigma was going to run around without cuffs and she was forced to keep them on.

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the thin wire.

The blast door slid open and hell beckoned.

It looked like they were fashionably late to the party. Inmates were three deep in some places against the latticed fence. Some were standing on top of each other, every one howling for blood.

As the doors behind them were shutting, Switch turned and brandished the unlocked cuffs at the shocked TYGER guards. 'Thanks for the present, lads!'

A cry started from somewhere at the back and it swept through the crowd. 'Riddler! Riddler! Riddler!'

Nigma strode through with a faint smile on his face and his hands clasped behind his back. Switch knew he was enjoying this to no end. He wasn't Joker, he didn't dance or laugh. It was the gleam in his eye and the smile. He waved a hand as they neared the end of the dematerialized zone and approached another set of blast doors. The crowd of thugs burst into cheers, they'd always cheer for a rogue.

If his ego got any bigger, Switch mused to herself, he was going to float. But the whole display had brought a smile to her face too. For once, she could barely hear the lewd suggestions of the inmates over the tide of love for the king of conundrums. Everyone was focused on Nigma and, being the narcissist he was, he was drinking it up. Right now, even Switch could believe the world just couldn't do without Riddler.

The doors opened into the cold reality. Inmates surrounded them, curious and wary.

'I feel naked without a cane.' Riddler mused.

'I feel this isn't going to end well.' Switch grumbled.

The knot in her stomach just wasn't going to budge, even as they passed serenely through the parting crowd. She really didn't like Arkham City and she had a feeling the city didn't like her back.

* * *

Oh Switch. You know what's coming for you!


End file.
